by Alexander Wolf Hosking

Created on: July 18, 2009   Last Updated: July 19, 2009

Children love to learn, it is human instinct to crave new information, and we as adults have a duty to teach them. Learning does not have to be a boring experience, in fact we can make it quite an enjoyable encounter.

Chemistry is great in the way that it can be taught in an stimulating and exciting manner. We can get our hands dirty, thrill with spontaneous reactions or amaze with awe inspiring experiments.

The wonderful thing is that while we are having fun and bonding with our kids, they are learning at the same time.

Spending some money on a chemistry sets could be a great way to open the minds of our children, but it is not necessary. Many tests can be done using household materials.

It is important to put safety first, so remember always to supervise your children, and use personal protective equipment when required.

Crystals on a String
Baking soda - 3 tsp, possibly more.
Water - 1/2 cup
Electric hot plate
String - 10 cm (5-6 in)
Small weight for string (e.g. fishing weight)
A clear glass or vial.
Put 1/2 cup water in pan.
Dissolve in as much baking soda as possible, stirring in 1 teaspoon at a time.
Heat the solution (do not boil).
Remove from heat source, stir, and add more baking soda until no more will dissolve and solution is saturated.
Cool solution.
Pour into a clear glass.
Tie the weight onto the end of the string and hang into solution.
After several days crystals will begin growing on the string as the water evaporates.

Invisible ink

Mix equal parts water and baking soda.
Use a cotton swab, toothpick, or paintbrush to write a message onto white paper, using the baking soda solution as 'ink'.
Allow the ink to dry.
One way to read the message is to hold the paper up to a heat source, such as a light bulb. The baking soda will cause the writing in the paper to turn brown.
A second method to read the message is to paint over the paper with purple grape juice. The message will appear in a different colour.

Make a density column

Make a density column with many liquid layers using common household liquids. This is an easy, fun and colourful science project that illustrates the concept of density and miscibility.

You can use some or all of these liquids, depending on how many layers you want and which materials you have handy. These liquids are listed from most-dense to least-dense, so this is the order in which you pour them into the column.

Honey
Corn syrup or pancake syrup
Liquid dish washing soap
Water (can be coloured with food colouring)

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